FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

CHAPTER 8

The jingling of keys were heard as Lance reached into his pocket to unlock the front door. By his side, Adam stood on the front porch, looking around at all the different houses around him as the last few rays of sunlight fell over the horizon. It looked like a typical American suburb, and Adam was not used to being so far away from the hustling and bustling center of the city. The front yard's grass was a healthy green, and the trees dotted around the yard swayed in the breeze. The weather outside was overcast, and the summer breeze that hit Adam's face carried with it the faint, fresh smell of rain. In the distance, grey and black clouds looked threatening on the horizon.

The house in front of Adam could only be described as something that looked like a Southern, ranch-style house. The siding of the house looked like it was showing its age, but it seemed to give out a warm, welcoming feeling. The porch was spacious and open with a window that looked into what appeared to be a living room. A wooden rocking chair was placed by the dark, wooden door, and the doormat had a faded "Welcome" on the face of it.

The sound of a lawn mower could be heard in the distance as one of the many neighbors that surrounded Lance's home began to trim their grass. Everything about the neighborhood seemed neat and orderly. The one thing that Adam noted was the difference between the other neighbors' homes and Lance's own. It seemed the bison took great care in giving it his own southern feel.

"Well, here we are," Lance chuckled. "And I promise that this isn't some massive ploy to lure you into my home and kill you in the basement, or any of that horror movie stuff." He laughed at his own slightly morbid joke. "Besides, the drainage in my basement is a bit bad, so not the most optimal of places for axe murderers to do business!"

The bison opened the door for Adam to walk in. The foyer was dark, but the buck's nose was immediately assaulted with the smell of fresh oak and pine. The origin of the scent was made quite clear when Lance flicked on the light switch just inside the door and revealed a large, open foyer with clearly very new hardwood flooring, and a staircase directly in front of them which led to the second floor. The banisters and railing on the staircase were stained some kind of maple color, and the steps themselves had more of an oak finish, all of which looked like they were hand-crafted. Above them hung a bright, iron chandelier of sorts that appeared to be made out of old wrought-iron fence posts, completing the overall 'woodsy' sort of feel to the entryway..

"Whoa, Lance! Did you create all of this?" Adam asked as he leaned forward to inspect the hardwood floors and see the brilliant shine. "I would hate to be the one to get murdered on what appears to be your life's work."

Lance's laugh echoed throughout the house, seemingly not much absorbing the sound. "Do try not to get your blood everywhere when you get murdered. It would just be so inconveniencing to have to scrub that out of the wood!" He shut the front door and locked it with a menacing grin on his face as he looked at Adam. "Now, it's time to kill you...by boring you to death with a tour of my home!" the bison laughed with a bright smile as he unlocked the door for the sake of making Adam feel more comfortable being alone with him like this.

"I was about to make a raunchy joke before the whole killing part, but I decided to hold my tongue," Adam said with a giggle as he looked up and gave Lance a mischievous wink.

"Well, now I HAVE to know what the joke was!" Lance grinned.

"'Now that you have me alone, what are you going to do to me?' was going to be the joke," Adam said with a nervous chuckle. His tail flicked in a twitchy way behind him as Adam leaned against the railing that led up the stairs. He crossed his arms and chuckled at his own joke.

Lance laughed once more. "Oh, I'm still going to kill you, because trust me, the tour is incredibly boring! Believe me, none have survived the horrors of having to look at all of the rooms I've remodeled!"

Adam laughed at the response before saying, "Well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and if I survive this, then perhaps I can survive anything. Lead the way, big guy. The worst that could happen is I fall asleep, but this place seems chock full of interesting things; including the person standing in front of me."

After Adam and Lance had a pretty good first experience outside of the gym, the buck had been giving Lance a few more flirty gestures, with Jess's prompting. To Dan's horror, Jess had Adam practice some things to say which were subtle but efficient on the blue dragon. It seemed Jess wanted to see Lance and Adam in a relationship more than anyone.

"You're too sweet," Lance chuckled, leading Adam into the living room and flicking on the lights. Inside the room was a large, ornate brick fireplace, though clearly a gas fireplace, judging by the lack of wood or fire pokers next to it. There were also two large, comfortable-looking couches, a big, flatscreen television, and another rocking chair, this one sitting in front of the fireplace, above which hung the television. A large coffee table sat between the two couches, and next to each couch was an endstand, clearly hand-crafted but expertly made, upon each of which sat a lamp. The two lamps were identical and appeared to be made out of little metal leaves and vines, making it look like the lampshade and light bulb were coming out of a metal plant of some kind.

Lance watched Adam's expression with a small grin as the deer took in everything. Adam seemed to be almost overwhelmed with the amount of meticulous detail put into everything. Imagining himself laying by the fireplace with a book in his hand, Adam began to think about Lance's warm back pressed up against his own and reading a book along with him. The thought alone sent a shiver down his spine as he thought more on what could be, but he quickly kicked the thoughts to the side as he began to inspect the furniture, especially the lamps. Adam took a guess that the lamps were not bought, but crafted.

"Lance, your woodcarving is incredible! It has a nice contemporary feel to it. You seem to be good with your hands when it comes to crafting things. How long have you carved stuff for?" Adam inquired as he ran his finger down the wood to feel its smooth texture.

"I've been carving wood ever since my mother felt safe letting me have a pocket knife," the bison chuckled, running his hand along the back of one of the couches. "That said, I didn't get particularly good at it until I was about eighteen. Then I went off to two years of carpentry school to further hone that craft. The metalworking stuff was more of a sub-hobby of sorts, though. I'd like to think I'm pretty decent at it, but it takes me forever to make something out of metal. Those lamps alone took me the better part of a month because of all the detail in the leaves and vines," Lance said with a gesture towards the lamps.

"Well, you said you wanted a proper critique. I would have given it to you the other day, if I didn't puke everywhere. Anyway, I give it a nine out of ten. Some of the metal feels a bit rough, and it looks a bit lopsided in places, but that will come with practice. The wood end of everything looks gorgeous, though. I would suggest trying to sell your work, somehow, if you ever create more copies," Adam said matter-of-factly. "If you get tired of dancing for people, of course."

The huge bison shrugged. "I can live with a nine out of ten. For my first electrical piece, I'm pretty proud of how they turned out. I can probably sand down some of the edges to make it a little more appealing, though, if that's really what's dragging them down from a ten." He looked into the fireplace and sighed slightly. "This wasn't quite the life I had in mind for myself, this whole dancing thing, but that job has single-handedly, in the past five years, paid off all of my student loans for the two years at the technical school, gave me the money for a great down-payment on this house, which admittedly was a huge fixer-upper that I've been working on for the last few years, and it paid for all the supplies I needed to fix this place up, as well as fuel my hobby for crafting things. I know it sounds silly to say, but I seriously owe a lot to Mr. Tux for giving me a job at his club. Hell, I want for nothing, so who am I to complain if sometimes a patron gets a little rowdy and slaps my ass, when I get to come home to all of this? I never saw myself being a dancer, but all in all, I actually enjoy my life a lot," he said with a warm smile.

Adam smiled back and said, "Well, if you don't mind me saying it, you are quite a good dancer. Like I said before, your hips are nice...not in a perverted way!" Adam quickly gave a weak chuckle and began to inspect the lamp once more, running his hand over the metal to feel the curves.

"Well, if memory serves, I had you on a saddle about three weeks ago, so I think you've got a right to talk about how much you like my hips," Lance smirked. "Can honestly say I didn't think, three weeks ago, that I'd have that very same buck in my house one day, admiring my lamps," he laughed.

Adam chuckled in return. "Sorry about almost creating a mess on your saddle again. Anyway, I am glad to be here! You are really..." Adam paused as he looked for the right words, a blush crossing his face. "You are really kind and sweet."

Smiling softly, the bison inched a little closer to Adam. "Out of curiosity, do you mean I'm kind and sweet, like a really good friend, or the kind of kind and sweet you might be looking for in a guy? You know...like, for a date or something..." he finished, sounding very shy now, his face burning red with a blush that was, thankfully, mostly hidden under the thicker brown fur of his face.

Adam inched a bit closer as well, his hand now brushing against the couch and ever closer to Lance's own. He giggled softly to himself, his nerves getting the best of him, and he said, "I like you, Lance, so...can this be a date, or something?"

If it was even possible, Lance's blush deepened, and his shy smile quickly turned into his handsome, charming smile as he reached over and gently placed his hand on Adam's, squeezing softly. "I'd like that a lot, Adam," he smiled. "Though, it's a slight shame, since it means I took you to a pizza place on our first date, and then I proceeded to take you back to my place to give you a tour of my house! Quite possibly the worst first date ever, wouldn't you agree?" the muscular bison chuckled, his chest bouncing slightly in his somewhat tight flannel shirt.

"Well, I think it's just fine. I'm an easy to please man, Lance," Adam said with a laugh as his nerves started to calm down. "At least, this time, I got good food, a nice guy to relax with, and did not puke! I consider that a plus." Leaning forward, Adam stood on his toes and pecked Lance on the cheek.

Lance almost looked like he was going to pass out from how red he went after Adam kissed him on the cheek. Such a simple act, yet it clearly had a profound effect on the large bovine. "Heh, well at least our first official date wasn't the sushi restaurant. Imagine telling that story later in life! 'Yeah, I met Lance for sushi, I upchucked in a dumpster behind the place, then he drove me home and walked me to the door. That shit was romantic!'" he laughed with a mock voice of what he thought an elderly Adam might sound like.

Giving a broad smile, Adam said, "Ahh, shut it. It was romantic when you rubbed my back as I was upchucking, and you know it." With a chuckle, Adam put his head on Lance's broad, right pectoral, since he was too short to put it on his shoulder, and continued. "My elderly self will probably carry a shotgun around and shout at all the delinquent kids running around."

The bison put an arm around the buck and held him close to him, sharing his apparently furnace-like body heat with Adam as he laughed. "Sounds like we'd make a great elderly couple in that regard, since I don't intend on giving up my axe murderer ways, so any kids you don't scare away effectively will just end up in the basement, being ground up into meat pies." He paused a moment. "For the record, I just saw Sweeney Todd like two days ago, so that's where that came from," Lance laughed. "I swear I am totally not planning anything illegal for the kids who keep leaving candy wrappers in my yard!....Oh god, I'm an old man already...Twenty-six years old, and I'm clearly already seventy at heart!"

Pointing up to Lance's chest where some of his fur poofed out of his partially unbuttoned shirt, Adam said, "I see some grey hairs already, big guy." Giving a giggle at his teasing, Adam nudged into Lance's embrace, feeling the warm fur against his own. He felt like he could go to sleep just in the bison's arms alone. The fact that Lance smelled like pine was just icing on the cake.

"H-hey, don't say that!" Lance laughed, gently leading Adam around the couch and sitting down with the deer's head still resting on his chest, the bison's arm still around him. "The second I lose my boyish good looks due to old age, I'll have to start looking into other professions besides dancing, since nobody would want to watch a daddy bison dancing...Actually, I take that back, there are a surprising number of gay males who have a daddy kink, so I'd probably be set well into my fifties," the larger male joked.

Adam cleared his throat as he began to wiggle awkwardly in the bison's grasp. He looked uncomfortable, and Lance looked down at him with that same concerned expression from three days ago. Adam laughed at the expression and just nuzzled against Lance's pectorals harder, feeling the muscle flex underneath his chin. "I actually like men that are more...mature."

He felt the words almost lock in his throat as he remembered it was the same exact thing he said to Jericho. "The reason I found you so attractive the first time I saw you at the pool was because you looked older than what you actually were. I like men that look like men. Especially big softies like you."

Lance smiled warmly, blushing slightly at that. "I'm only like, what, three years older than you, so it's not like I'm old enough to actually be your father," he chuckled. "But I suppose I'll take it as a compliment that I look more mature than my age. The rugged, masculine look has always been my forte," Lance added with a slightly cocky smirk.

"Yeah, but those three years make a difference in my eyes," Adam said with a purr in his voice. "I especially liked that green speedo over your hips when you were dripping wet. Mmmf." Feeling himself snap out of his lustful desires, Adam then quickly said, "Sorry, sorry, first date and all. I know I told you about my first, but that was different....and...and..." Adam wasn't known for being nervous whenever he talked to his lovers, but for some reason, Lance was different. He trailed his finger around the bison's flannel shirt, feeling the material against his fur.

Chuckling softly, Lance simply rubbed Adam's shoulder softly and slowly ran it down the length of his arm. "Adam, I'm a male dancer who, more often than not, wears clothes that accentuate my junk, so I honestly don't mind if you say I looked good in a speedo," he smiled. "I'm glad the small age gap isn't a deal-breaker for you, though. I've known some guys who would probably turn away their ideal mate if they weren't their age or younger. Not that I'd expect you to do that, or anything, but you know, just little things I worried about before getting the balls to actually ask you if you were interested in me."

Shivering at the touch even though he was not cold, Adam replied, "I'm really glad that we both had the balls to go through with this. I..." Adam paused once again, his eyes moving to the window looking out onto the porch. A flash of lightning appeared before rain began to fall. The pitter patter of raindrops on the roof was soothing as a smile crossed Adam's lips. "I like you a lot, Lance."

"I like you a lot, too, Adam," Lance replied softly, watching another bolt of lightning crack across the sky. "We got off to a rough start, between the pool business and the private dance, but once we started working out together and meeting up for dinner, I really began to feel something for you. It was just a friendly thing at first, but oddly enough, ever since that bad sushi you ate, I've felt oddly drawn to you, like you just keep creeping into my thoughts, even when we're not together." The large bison blushed slightly as he spoke, clearly feeling a little uncomfortable being so open about his mushy, sentimental feelings.

Adam felt his heart flutter as he quickly realized that all these feelings he had for Lance were not just him being confused. He felt extraordinarily relieved, but it was mixed with guilt. He felt like he lied to Jericho, but the only thing that he could think about was Lance's soft lips moving as words left them. Feeling himself smirk at the openness, Adam said, "I have to admit, I've had a crush on you since I first saw you, and I thought you would be this big, meaty tough guy, but...I was so wrong. I like when my mind is on you, Lance, even when you were dancing for me." It felt as if a weight had lifted from his conscience as he said the words, his eyes closing as he listened to the rain hit the roof.

"Not many people know this side of me," Lance admitted. "I use that persona at the Foxhole because confidence drives patrons wild, but there's so much more to me. I've been described as a gentle giant, and I'd say that's pretty accurate, really. I'm strong, sure, but I'm not the aggressive, domineering male you'd expect out of a guy my size. Like, even now, I haven't even touched you in a non-PG way because I respect you too much to try anything like that, ya know?" the bison explained. He blushed slightly as his mind went back to Adam's admittance of him having had a crush on him. "You've really liked me ever since we first met?" he smiled softly.

Nodding, Adam said, "Yeah, but I'd be lying if I said, at first, it was not just physically. That green speedo, man..." Imagining Lance's bulge cradled inside the tight, skimpy swimwear was enough to make Adam's arousal become a bit of an issue. "But, when we started talking, I found out that we have so much in common. I like your nerdiness, shyness, and I especially like that you work out. I've seen some progress in my own body," Adam said when he gave a hard flex of his biceps to show off the small but lean mound of muscle bulging outward. "Don't even get me started on my glutes! Those squats do wonders!"

There was a slightly drawn-out, awkward silence for a few moments. "Hey, Adam?" Lance asked, looking down at the buck.

"Yeah, big guy?" Adam asked, opening his eyes and looking up at Lance.

It was physically impossible for the bison to blush any more bright of a red at this point. "Can I..." He paused, his shyness overriding his words.

Adam's ears lifted at the words and hesitation. He reached forward and cupped Lance's right cheek in his hand before stroking the thumb against it, saying calmly, "If you want to say something, I'm all ears. Don't be afraid to speak your mind with me."

Lance nodded slowly, nuzzling against Adam's hand softly before he looked back down into the buck's eyes. "C-can I...kiss you?" Lance asked shyly, like a pre-teen boy who was about to kiss a girl for the first time.

Smiling warmly up at Lance, Adam nodded and closed his eyes. He slightly puckered his lips a bit and waited patiently, his hand still on Lance's cheek.

The bison slowly closed the distance between them, his breath washing hotly over Adam's face before their lips finally pressed together. It wasn't an aggressive kiss, or even that passionate of a kiss, but rather it was the gentle, shy kiss of tenderness and affection. Lance's thick, soft lips pressed warmly against Adam's for a long moment before he slowly broke the kiss, looking shyly into Adam's eyes, face still bright red, as if waiting for some kind of validation that the kiss had been pleasing to him.

Giggling a bit as Lance's eyes watched him, Adam asked, "So...what did you think?"

Lance's lips curved into that shy smile that Adam couldn't help but find endearing. "I...I really liked that," he blushed. "Kinda wish my heart would stop beating so fast, though!" the bison added with a soft chuckle.

Adam gave a loud laugh and said, "Mine too. So, about that tour..." Adam adjusted his position so he was laying on the bison's firmly muscled stomach and tracing his finger across Lance's chest.

The larger male's eyes widened as he realized they had totally gotten derailed on their tour of his house, and he cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed. "Right, right, sorry. That was a very nice distraction, but the tour of the axe murderer house must continue!" Lance smiled.

Unlocking the door to his apartment and walking inside, Adam checked his phone to see it was around 10 PM in the evening. "Man, I literally spent all evening at Lance's," Adam said to himself with a smile as he closed the door as quietly as possible. Adam and Lance spent most of their time touring the house, watching movies, and cuddling. Throughout the evening, the bison began to get his confidence back, and soon the two were making flirty comments and gestures to one another. However, Lance shyly asked Adam for another kiss before he left, his bravado gone and replaced by the fidgety and shy bison from before, and then the two parted ways. Adam had to get back to his apartment so he could prepare for work the next day, and Lance did not seem to want to push him to stay the night. Adam thought it was best if he went back home anyway, and he made a point of taking things slower this time, after how things with Jericho went after he stayed over at the bull's place.

The living room lights were still on, and Adam could detect the light scent of a previous meal as he strolled over to the couch and plopped himself onto it. His fur was a bit of a mess, due to a mixture of sweat and body rubbing between himself and Lance. He looked at his shorts to see he was still tenting a bit, and a smile went across his face. "I know what you want, but you can't have it yet," Adam whispered to his bulge with a stupid chuckle before leaning on the armrest and thinking to himself. The whole idea of dating Lance sent a shiver down the buck's spine, and he thought about how wonderful the evening had been. It was sweet, innocent, and yet so very sensual. Hearing a door open from the bathroom, Adam adjusted his posture until his stomach was flat against the couch cushion. He peeked over the armrest to see Dan holding a towel around his waist and a toothbrush in his mouth as he walked towards his room. His lean yet muscular body was on full display, but he did not seem to notice as he entered his room and closed the door. Adam heard a drawer open and a few things being moved around.

"I see you're back early tonight," the oddly sultry voice of his female roommate, Jessica, said just behind the couch. How she had snuck up on him like that was a mystery that Adam would never solve, though her dainty hooves on a carpet would definitely be muffled. "Didn't feel like staying the night at either of your boyfriends' houses tonight?" she smirked.

Adam's ears perked, just like his body. He jumped a bit at the voice, turned back onto his back to look up to Jess, and said, "Don't scare me like that! And no. I want to give Lance time to adjust to us. I kind of screwed up with Jericho, and I don't want to do the same with Lance."

"So, what, you just move on from one beefcake to the next? I mean, that Lance guy was absolutely gorgeous when I saw him the other night, but given how much you were destroyed by what happened with Jericho, I really was starting to wonder if you had actually fallen in love with one of your one-nighters. What gives? Just giving up on him because you hit a speed bump or two?" Jessica asked, the gazelle locking onto the impossible conundrum Adam had been facing for days in just a matter of seconds.

Adam huffed and said, "You really are good at looking in between the lines, aren't you?" His eye twitched a bit in annoyance, but he did always enjoy hearing Jess's scrutiny on certain topics. "But no, I am not giving up on Jericho. I just...I really like Lance. He is sweet, kind, and..."

Remembering the different moments he spent with Jericho over the past few weeks, either at bars, restaurants, or afterhours at the Lounge, Adam had to shake the thoughts away as he thought of Lance. Jessica was more than right; she was really hitting the nail on the head, and he felt a bit of a headache starting to rear its head. He rarely felt annoyed at Jessica, but this one of those moments.

Jessica frowned, the gazelle moving to sit next to her long-time friend on the couch. "I know that look on your face, buck," she said seriously. "I know it's hard to hear what I said, but we both know that you're playing a dangerous game here, and I don't want to see you get hurt because of it, Adam." She placed her hand lightly on the buck's leg. "I mean, no matter how this plays out, you're only going to end up hurting one of them, or possibly even both of them, if either finds out about what you're doing with the other, which let's be honest, there's a strong chance of them finding out, since you told me they're coworkers."

The gazelle looked at Adam with a concerned expression. "Besides, this Jericho guy has already laid hands on you once before, so who's to say he won't do it again if you hurt him once more? Who's to say he won't hurt you even worse than before?" Jessica asked, trying to be blunt. "And if you DO choose to date Jericho, what's to stop a huge hunk of a man like Lance from flipping shit and hurting you? Adam, I get that you like big guys like them, and frankly I totally see why, but these are dangerous guys you're going out with. Males their size could really do some damage to you, and I don't want to see my best friend get put in the hospital, or worse!"

Adam felt his annoyance fade a bit, and a worried look crossed his face. "Well, what do I do then, Jess? I like both of them, but...I feel that I have a better connection with Lance. Jericho is a great guy, but I never...I never felt anything like I did when I kissed Lance." Sighing and leaning against Jess's shoulder, Adam had to adjust his antlers out of the way so he wouldn't poke her in the face. "I enjoy Jericho's company, and his body is...wow, but Lance is...he is..."

"He is what?" the gazelle asked, cocking her head slightly. "And don't you dare say 'dreamy'."

"He is like a more muscular, jock version of me! When I went upstairs to use the bathroom, I did some snooping in his room, in the dark, mind you, and I found some cosplay stuff, Jess. It was like a wand and some really good looking costumes. I had to run, though, and I didn't tell him I was poking my nose in places it didn't belong, but he is such a nerd, and I love that! He is shy, but you should see him when you work out with him...Woah...Zero to one hundred percent confidence really quick. I like hanging out with Jericho, but with Lance, I feel like I can be my full self around him," Adam replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Truthfully, Adam was looking for something more devious when he was upstairs. Lance seemed too confident to not have something to stroke more than his ego.

Jessica's face remained neutral throughout Adam's explanation, with the exception of a slight grin she got when he mentioned Lance's interest in cosplay. "He sounds perfect, this Lance, but I'm currently stuck on the fact that you actually went snooping through his place," she frowned. "You make it sound like you really like him, but you violated his privacy by doing that. I'd be willing to bet, nerd or not, he likely didn't show you his bedroom for a reason. My money's on him being embarrassed that he's THAT much of a nerd, when he's clearly been trying to impress you with his hobbies and his body, like any egotistical jock would probably do. He probably wanted to share that with you eventually, but he just wasn't comfortable enough with you to show you that part of himself yet." When Adam made a face, she quickly silenced him with a glare. "I may work in a video game store, but don't forget I majored in psychology, so I've got a pretty good idea why he was acting that way towards you. That said, males will forever be a mystery to me, since none of you tend to act rationally."

Adam crossed his arms and said, "Well, the whole world has a way of not acting rational. Anyway, I'll keep that in mind, and I won't bring it up. I am just really curious about what he does outside of the club and the gym. Yeah, I like his body, but I find him more interesting right now. I'll see what happens with Jericho. Maybe nothing will happen with him, and we will be just good friends. Who knows?"

Although Adam was thinking optimistically, there was also that doubt that any of what he was doing would turn out for the best. "I'll be happy in a relationship, but will I be happy cutting ties with good friends? Would it really be worth it?" the buck thought to himself solemnly.

Sighing heavily, Jessica leaned back on the couch. "I swear, the messes you get yourself into when you think with that dick of yours. This is way worse than that time you hit on the football player in high school you thought was gay. At least then you just got your ass kicked and life went on as normal, and the guy ignored you. This time, though, if you choose one over the other, you're still forced to see the person you didn't choose, since they are both involved with the Foxhole Lounge, and that would just open the wounds for both of you every time you saw each other."

"If you're going to pick Lance, then be prepared to deal with the fallout you're going to have with Jericho," Jessica warned. "Maybe take Dan with you, or something. He's probably nowhere near the size of this dude, but maybe at least having some kind of muscle with you would keep the bull from doing anything regrettable."

"That sounds like a good ide-"

"No, I refuse to take a punch, or worse, so this fuckboy can have sex with this Lance dude," Dan chimed in from the hallway, toothbrush out of his mouth, but a towel still wrapped around his waist. He was listening the whole time, leaning against the wall in the hallway. He looked irritated that Jessica would even think about dragging him into this.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Fine, then I'll go with him, since I actually give a damn about my friends! I swear I have an even bigger pair of balls than you do. Hell, probably have more of a dick than you do too," she grumbled. "Guess all your muscles are just for show, and you've got nothing to back those up, mister protein drink, working out all the time dragon!" She purposely hit Dan right in the pride, knowing that a shot at the body he was working hard to cultivate would provoke him.

Dan felt his eye twitch involuntarily, and he grumbled something a bit inappropriate before saying, "Fine, fine! But if I get my ass kicked by some musclebound, juiced-up beefhead, then you are going to have to take me to the hospital and pay for it yourselves!"

Adam looked over to Jessica and mumbled a "thank you" her way before hearing Dan stomp to his room and close the door. The click of the lock was heard before the sound of drawers being opened and shut could be heard. Both Adam and Jess heard the faint sound of liquid being pumped from a bottle.

"Guess he's just getting his ass prepared, in case Jericho slams his hoof up there," Jess smirked. "I swear, for a 'straight' guy, he sure uses that horse dildo a lot."

Adam chuckled and said, "I'm kind of glad my room is not too close to his. He seems to be super intimate with his toys."

Hearing the sound of the liquid stopping, both Adam and Jess heard the door unlock and Dan walked out holding a bottle of hand sanitizer. He stomped down the hallway and held it up to them with a stupid smirk across his face, as if to say 'get your damn heads out of the gutter!' before walking back, closing the door, and locking it. However, the pair picked up on a very faint groan that left the dragon's lips.

"Very, very intimate," Adam commented with a grin.

"So intimate that he feels so incredibly dirty afterwards, that he feels he needs to use hand sanitizer, just so he can feel vaguely clean again," Jessica laughed.

"So, what do you think I should do about all this, Jess? Do you think I should just wait and see what happens, or go through with something?" Adam asked with concern in his voice. Even though Jess's words always hurt when she gave advice, she was mostly right on with how people feel during a situation, just like when she nursed his wounds after being pushed around by the high school quarterback and gave him advice on how to figure out if a guy was truly into guys. Adam was looking for a hint for his newest predicament.

The gazelle sighed, scratching the area between her long, slender horns. "Well, you're definitely stuck between a rock and a hard place, or in this case, a cock and a hard place. Or more accurately, two cocks and a lot of hard muscles." She smirked at Adam, amused at her own joke. "My advice, for the time being, is to go about business as usual until you find out for absolutely certain if Lance is exactly what you want. I don't want you rushing into anything, and I know this is playing Devil's advocate, but I think you should keep hanging out with Jericho, so you can truly gauge if you're still interested or not. It'll suck, but once you're sure of either male, that's when you need to sit one down and talk to them about what you're feeling. With any luck, you can still be friends once the dust settles."

Nodding, Adam said, "I see what you are saying. I already talked to Jericho once about this, but maybe..."

Adam paused as he looked up into Jess's eyes. "Maybe he won't beat the living shit out of me. I mean, I apologized to him once already, so I am worried about him."

She raised an eyebrow at that last part. "Define 'worried about him'. Like, what do you think he will do to you that you're worried?"

"I am afraid, if it ever comes to breaking his heart, then he will break mine by giving me the cold shoulder again. Let me tell you, that shoulder was freezing," Adam replied.

Jess nodded. "An understandable fear." She looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. "I don't think he'll do that, the more I think about it. Look at it this way: You utterly destroyed him because of that hookup, but you made amends, and now you're at least friends again. Will he be disappointed that he went through all of that, only to come out empty-handed anyway? Without a doubt. But, I don't think he would give you the cold shoulder, because you two were only friends in a bit of a trial period where you were trying to actually do a proper courtship, you know? It will probably make things super awkward, but I think he'd be understanding."

The gazelle paused. "Then again, you have to factor in the parts where he's male, therefore illogical, a meathead, and a guy suffering from a pretty bad case of heartbreak, so how he'd react could very well be anyone's guess..."

Adam nodded and gave a long winded sigh that matched a low pitched groan coming from Dan's room. The two ignored it, and Adam curled up against Jessica's shoulder. "Remember when we were kids, and I tripped and fell on a stupid tree branch, and you rubbed my head until I felt better? I feel like that child again, a child that didn't learn much. I feel like I am still tripping on tree branches."

Jessica laughed softly, putting an arm around Adam and holding him closely, rubbing his arm gently. "That's just life in general, I'm afraid. Life is a gauntlet of tree branches in our path, and the bright green meadow of your life just has a ton of big branches littering the area that you need to watch out for, as well as the gopher holes of depression that could cause you to break an ankle and really keep you down for a while. Okay, that was a pretty crappy metaphor, but you get what I mean," she chuckled.

Adam smiled and said, "Well, I've got a lot of thinking to do. I'm going to go to bed." Getting up off of the couch and brushing his clothes off, Adam added, "Thanks for talking to me, Jess."

She smiled brightly in reply. "I'd be a pretty shit friend if I didn't! I care about you a lot, Adam, and you know I'd do everything within my power to make sure you're happy."

Adam nodded and said, "Hopefully, someday, I can return the favor." With that, he walked towards him room and closed the door. Jumping onto his bed, the buck began to strip off his shirt, pants, and underwear to leave him naked as he laid on his bed. Thinking deeply, Adam began to ponder his relationship with Lance, remembering the smile across the bison's face as he led the deer around his home and the feeling of Lance's soft lips against his. The buck then thought of Jericho, his beautiful body holding him close as his chest expanded and flexed, the bull's huge frame protecting him from the outside world. Adam got up off the bed and turned off the light before jumping back onto the bed. He forgot to brush his teeth, but he did not care. He was too busy thinking about the different ways the relationships could boil down, and he saw no way it could end without some fallout. As he curled himself into a ball and laid on his side, his eyes began to feel heavy, and soon he was whisked away into his dreams which consisted of love and passion, but also of conflict and disappointment.

"Hellooo? Adam?" Jericho said, waving a hand in front of the deer's face as they sat at a table at the bull's favorite bar. "You've been holding that empty beer mug up to your lips for the last thirty seconds, staring off into space...again." That handsome, white bovine face was contorted into a concerned frown. "Are you okay? That's like the fourth time since we got here.

"

Adam blinked twice and gave a bit of a small chuckle. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a long day at work. I'm just tired." That was technically true, but he did not exactly give the whole truth. After tossing and turning all night, Adam decided that he would meet with Jericho next Tuesday after work. Jericho asked him a bit in advance if he would be willing to come out, and Adam said yes. The sweet sound of a piano played in the background as a musician performed a nice jazz piece. The atmosphere of the bar was casual, and since it was in the afternoon, the bar was pretty desolate. Adam kind of liked it that way; it made the area feel more private.

The bar seemed to have a contemporary feel to it. The wooden floors were cleaned well, and the clientele looked fashionable, but they still had a casual feel about them. Alcohol bottles lined the walls and gave the area the look of a pub. A jukebox sat in the corner, its colorful display unoccupied. Although the drinks were delicious, they were pricy, but Jericho paid for a good chunk of the drinks most of the time. Adam felt horrible about it, but the big bull always insisted.

"We can just reschedule for another night or something," Jericho suggested with a casual shrug. "I don't want to keep you and then have to worry about you falling asleep at the wheel or something on the way home," he said with genuine concern for Adam's wellbeing.

"No, no! I like being here with you, and I'm not THAT tired. There has just been a lot of stuff on my mind recently," the buck admitted as his finger trailed along the lip of a ketchup bottle. He felt that Jericho's concern was sweet, and he smiled at the bull. "That is sweet of you to suggest that, though."

The large bull didn't look terribly convinced. "Look, something's clearly bothering you, Adam. I've seen you when you're tired, and you never space out this much. You can talk to me about it, whatever it is," Jericho said in his deep, concerned tone.

Adam sucked in a breath, his mind wandering from whether or not to tell him about his feelings for Lance, or to just keep it to himself. He decided on the latter, and lied, saying, "I'll be okay, Jericho. I'm just having some trouble with my job. Margaret is being a bit more of a stickler and is breathing down my neck constantly."

"You'd think that lady would just finally get off her menstrual cycle and stop running your ass over, but I guess not," the bull chuckled, seemingly appeased by the answer. "Why you still deal with her is beyond me."

Seeing the opportunity to change the subject, Adam said, "Yeah. I just see your job, and I get a bit jealous. You seem to enjoy it." Laughing, Adam continued, "Is it the free paraphernalia that you get on theme nights that's a big plus for you?" Giving a sly wink, Adam remembered the tropical sunglasses with a tight lifeguard speedo, black tank top and red whistle that hung around the white bull's neck. It was an excellent theme, if the deer had anything to say about it. When Adam ran into the club, Jericho blew the whistle at him and pulled out a sign that said, "No running." He had a cocky grin on his face.

The white bovine laughed loudly at that. "It's definitely a plus, though! Because of it, I've got the most random and eclectic wardrobe imaginable. I think I still have the leather chaps from western night a few months back. But, yeah, the job is decent enough. I make good money, but sometimes it's just annoying having to deal with so many drama queens, or twinks who think they're hot shit, or the guys who just simply aren't twenty-one yet."

Adam chuckled at the leather chaps comment but quickly got serious. He was interested in Jericho's job life. After all, how crazy would it be to say you are a bouncer for a strip club? "I can see that being annoying. Maybe, one day, you could switch roles with me? I bet I could kick someone out of the club," the buck joked as he flexed his biceps that were looking a bit more defined due to working out with Lance. It was really starting to pay off, and the bison was getting a bit more complementive, especially when it came to Adam taking off his shirt in the locker room. Adam could not get him to stay for the whole showering thing, though, but at least Lance no longer got shy around his naked chest.

"You've clearly stepped up your workout game, but you'd be pretty screwed if a guy my size tried to start some trouble. He'd pick his teeth with your antlers!" Jericho laughed with a friendly smile.

"Do you guys get a lot of bodybuilders that come into the joint?" Adam joked with a foolish smirk as he pointed at Jericho's biceps which were playing hell with his tight tee-shirt. "I mean, you guys are armed."

Jericho laughed again, lifting his right arm and flexing the bicep to the point where it looked like it would actually rip right through his tight shirt. "Some fairly big guys, but I wouldn't say any bodybuilders, at least not lately. I'm armed and dangerous, after all! I'm never without my two guns," he grinned, raising the other arm as well and flexing both biceps at the same time.

Adam's eyes flicked around the bar to see some of the people looking at Jericho, and others were giggling nervously before returning to whatever they were doing. Even the piano player raised an eyebrow at the display but continued his piece. Some guys and gals stared for a bit longer than others. Adam chuckled, watching the muscle flex and said, "Careful, you may attract attention...or set off a fire alarm."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Jericho winked as he lowered his arms. "I'm glad you agreed to meet me tonight, Adam. I don't know why, but I've been feeling like there's something off between us. Well, more so than normal, at least, but seeing you tonight has really put my worries to rest. I was starting to think you weren't interested in me anymore, since you started cutting back on the cute little 'good morning' texts and checking in on me throughout the day to see how I was doing."

"I'm still interested in you....just not INTERESTED," Adam wanted to say, but at the same time, Jericho was a heartthrob when it came to putting on the charm. He hesitated for a moment, but said carefully, "I'm interested in nurturing your trust in me. I like you, Jericho. It sucked not talking to you when we had our falling out. Perhaps, time was the best remedy for that. I'm glad that I've at least improved."

The bull nodded. "Yeah, it was definitely a little awkward at first after we rebooted our friendship, but I'm glad we gave it a second chance." He smiled, lightly putting his hand on Adam's and rubbing it gently. "It's been a weird few weeks, but it was long enough for me to realize that my feelings for you never really went away. I wanted so much to just be able to hate you and move on, but I just couldn't," he said with that same, handsome smile before blushing slightly through his white fur. "Erm...sorry I got a little mushy there...I know we agreed on not talking like that while we were repairing our friendship." He quickly withdrew his hand.

Adam blushed, his right hand pulling into a fist as he brought it on top of Jericho's before opening up and placing his hand on top of his. He let out a sigh before saying, "I do enjoy it when you are all mushy, but...maybe it's best we still work on our friendship. Unless that's already repaired, then we need to have a bit of a chat about...us." Tracing his fingers across the back of Jericho's hand, Adam lifted his hand off of his and moved it back towards his napkin and began to rap his fingers on the table. "Shiiiiiit, this is so complicated! I need to tell him soon!" Adam screamed in his mind.

The bull looked uncertain for a long, silent few moments as he looked down at his own hands. "I don't know that it is totally repaired, but...I really want to take you out on a proper date. No sex or anything, but just us, a nice restaurant, and maybe a movie or something. I think a lot of the problem was we just kinda jumped headlong into the intimacy without any real foundation to really build off of, you know?" Jericho's blue eyes shimmered slightly in the dim light of the bar, the bull looking genuinely hopeful for the first time in a while.

Jess's words echoed in his mind, "I don't want you rushing into anything, and I know this is playing Devil's advocate, but I think you should keep hanging out with Jericho, so you can truly gauge if you're still interested or not." Adam's mind yelled at him to go along with it and see what happened, but the other part of him said for him to stay with Lance and just keep it casual between himself and Jericho. The bar felt like it was spinning, but his feet were locked in place underneath the table. The gears in his mind were turning as he thought of the different ways this would play out. Lance was not his boyfriend, but they did get really intimate. Would Lance get jealous if he went on one little date? The answer would probably be yes, and he would be back to playing a dangerous game involving with toying with guys' hearts.

"Jericho, can I...can I talk to you for a moment outside?"

Nodding, though looking concerned, Jericho stood up and waited for Adam to get up before following the buck out of the bar. "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" the big bull asked.

"I just need some fresh air, and I feel I should tell you some things that you are obligated to know," Adam said as he opened the door for Jericho, letting the big bull through before stepping outside after him. The hustle and bustle on the streets was there, and the white noise felt soothing to the buck as he inhaled the fresh evening air. The cool night air blew across his face as he looked up to Jericho, and he found the words were hard to find. The moon was high in the sky, the light beaming down upon the cityscape. Looking up into Jericho's eyes, Adam said, "Jericho, I really like you, and there are not any words for how much I value your friendship, but I'm..."

Adam saw the confusion in Jericho's eyes as he waited for what Adam was going to say. The buck figured that Jericho already knew what the rest was going to be. He sighed. "It would be wrong for me to be in a romantic relationship with you at this moment. I really hope that does not change how you see me, but I would prefer to just be friends at this moment in time. I would love to see a movie with you, though, but nothing romantic. I-I can't..." Adam's lip quivered as he thought about everything that could be with Jericho, but he had to fight past that. He had to tell Jericho what the bull needed to know before he stepped on any more hearts.

The bull looked disappointed, there was no doubt about that. "I...I see..." he muttered softly. Adam could tell by the look on his face that Jericho was really fighting an inner battle for what would come out of his mouth next. "So, I take it the new romantic comedy that just came out is out of the question?"

Adam chuckled, saying, "If you want to see it, I would love to go with you, but it did look interesting. That one cute otter actor is in it..."

"Or there's that thriller with that huge hunk of a rhino playing the CIA agent," Jericho smirked.

"I noticed that one! Mmmm, choices...choices. How about the thriller, then? We can both coo over him!" Adam joked, relieved that Jericho seemed to be doing fine.

"To the theatre, then," Jericho smiled, extending his hand, about to reach for Adam's hand, but realizing what he was doing and quickly putting his hands in his pockets.

Adam was too busy walking towards the direction of Jericho's car to notice.

Driving Adam to the movie theater, Jericho and Adam both rode in the car talking about various small topics. They laughed and joked around with each other, some jokes more lewd than others, until they made it to the theater. Since the hour was so odd, tickets were cheap, and this time, Adam insisted on paying for the tickets. Jericho made a bit of a fuss about it to the buck, but Adam felt like he needed to treat Jericho for once.

Adam and Jericho both got lost in the hallway leading towards the theater, but the bull managed to point them in the right direction. The theater was barely crowded when they walked in, and there were plenty of empty seats that littered the large room. Adam and Jericho took a spot that was somewhat close up, but far away enough that they did not have to strain their necks to see the screen. Adam and Jericho both made comments during the ads about which movies looked good and which looked terrible. When the actual movie started, the two exchanged comments back and forth on what they thought was going to happen, or complemented the rhino, who was the main protagonist, on his dashing good looks.

The movie itself was full of a building climax that led to several different strings of plot coinciding together into one. There was not a lot in terms of action, but when there was, it was quick and flashy enough to grab the duo's attention. The twist at the end when the main character's wife ended up dead was satisfying yet heart wrenching. All in all, the two walked out of the theater with smiles on their faces.

"That was really good!" Jericho smiled. "I really liked the part where he fashioned the lockpick out of a piece of wire taken out of the broken telephone. Pretty smart move!"

Adam nodded and said, "I agree! It seemed to fit the whole atmosphere of desperation! I liked the the part where he got interrogated by KGB officers and managed to escape. Of course, he was pretty bruised, but that was cool how intense it felt!"

Jericho smiled and put an arm around Adam in a friendly manner, practically enveloping the smaller male in his embrace. "Sadly, it's getting late, and young bucks need to get home and get their beauty sleep, do they not?" he grinned, leading Adam to the bull's vehicle.

"Yeah, because I am just such a fragile creature," the deer grinned as he elbowed Jericho in the stomach. "Don't you have to go to bed as well? Big bulls like you need sleep as well!"

"Oh, yeah, I need at least nine hours of sleep, or else I get really mad, my fur turns green, and, oh wait, that was the Incredible Hulk. Eh, close enough," Jericho grinned. The sound of feet on pavement echoed in the night air as the patrons filed out of the theater and towards their cars.

Giving a shrug, Adam said, "Do you drink coffee?" In a smooth motion, Jericho unlocked the doors to the truck. Grabbing the door handle to Jericho's truck, Adam gave it a tug outward until he heard the beeping inside that signaled a door was open. The deer hopped inside and Adam felt the suspension wobble as Jericho did the same.

"Do bears shit in the woods?" the bull asked rhetorically. "Well, feral bears, not, you know, people bears." He turned the keys in his ignition and started to drive down the road.

Laughing, Adam said, "I see your point. Got a favorite flavor or type of coffee?" As he asked this, Jericho made a left turn before the bull raised a hand to wave to a car that allowed him to go when they reached a four-way stop sign. The lights on the front of the truck reflected the yellow paint on the road as they drove.

"I've always been a fan of french vanilla, for some reason," he shrugged in reply. "Other than that, I prefer straight-up black coffee. Yourself?"

"I like anything that tastes minty as well as vanilla-y, so french vanilla is one of my top five, but there is this peppermint coffee out during Christmas that is just...mmf," Adam replied as he remembered the strong, fresh smell of mint. "I love anything to do with the Christmas season when it comes to food."

Adam immediately thought of Dasher walking up to him in his harness and jingle-bell jock, serving him mint-flavored coffee with a candy cane between his lips like a cigarette. He chuckled at the thought.

"So, did you want to go for coffee, or was that just a random question?" Jericho asked, not looking away from the road.

"Meh, just a random thought. You mentioned how you need nine hours of sleep, but it's hard to get even seven sometimes," Adam said with a smile. "I was wondering how you would keep yourself going, since being a bouncer can have odd hours."

"It's really not so bad," Jericho shrugged. "For the most part, I'm just at the Foxhole between 8pm and 4am, but it's just my days off that are a little weird."

Noticing his apartment in the distance, Adam pointed and said, "It's that one, by the way. And, yeah, I can understand the strangeness of getting up in the morning rather than the afternoon."

"It's a living," Jericho shrugged. "The only time I ever woke up at a normal time since I started at the Foxhole was when you and I..." he trailed off, frowning as memories of that morning came back to him.

"Yeah..." Adam said trailing off and looking out the window. "Again, if there was anything I could have changed about that day, it would be me going too fast. I still don't feel I have apologized enough, but I'm always glad to spend time with you."

The bull got quiet for the remainder of the drive, which wasn't that long, and soon they pulled up in front of Adam's building. Jericho looked down at his hands on the steering wheel, watching the white fur of his hands shimmer slightly in the streetlights. "Hey...Adam? Be honest with me...You don't have any actual interest in me romantically anymore...do you? And that's why you just wanted to be friends and work on our friendship?" he asked with a hint of sadness to his voice, figuring he knew the answer before the buck even responded.

"Jericho, since you asked for complete honesty..."

Adam felt the words lock in his throat, the whole situation starting to throw him into a bit of a panic, "You...I..." Looking over, Adam noticed the bull's expression changing again to confusion. "I want to be romantically involved with you, Jericho, but...there's this guy that I have feelings for too, and I don't want to hurt you again. I realized that I can't play games anymore, and I don't know what to do. As much as I want to do more with you, I also want to do more with this other person as well."

Memories of the day of their fallout had been on constant repeat in Jericho's mind ever since then, and he spoke exactly what was on his mind. "Lance, right?" he sighed. "I...understand. I can't compete with a guy like him, even if I am bigger in probably every way. He's a good guy..." His voice was definitely filled with disappointment and sadness now.

"Jericho, don't say that. It's nothing about you. You are a good guy, too. Listen, I've been in a rut the last few days, trying to fight against these desires I have. It's not about this person's body, attitude, or whatever. I like both of you equally. We haven't done anything together like you and I have. I just wasn't expecting you to develop feelings for me after I broke your heart. I thought that we would never be the same, but to see you so happy again...I like it. I'm just surprised that you have developed feelings for me so quickly. It was hard for me to adjust."

The bull sighed again, his hands slowly sliding down the steering wheel before coming to rest in his lap as he looked at the center of the wheel. "As I said before, I wanted nothing more than to just be able to hate you, so it would be easier for me to move on, but the truth of the matter is that I never stopped feeling something for you, because you were the first person in years who made me feel special, so I got caught up in the foolish hope that you'd fall for me at least half as hard as I fell for you. I just..." he sighed. "I don't know what I want anymore. I thought I wanted you, Adam, but there's no point chasing after you if your heart lays with someone else. I'll...learn to get over you, in time, I guess."

He looked at Adam sadly. "I don't want to lose you, Adam, and if being your friend is the most I can be and still have you in my life, I'll be okay with that. I'm sorry that we can't be more, but...I can respect your decision, if you truly want to pursue this other guy's heart." Even though the buck claimed he liked both males equally, Jericho felt it was painfully obvious where he ranked.

"Jericho...I'm sorry for hurting you so much. I don't want to lose you either. If you need anything, please, don't hesitate to ask." Adam reached forward to attempt to touch Jericho's hand but recoiled. As much as he wanted to hold the bull's hand, he knew it would be inappropriate.

This time, it was Jericho's turn not to notice the gesture.

"Thank you, Adam," Jericho replied softly. "Goodnight," he said, turning towards Adam but finding himself unable to meet the buck's gaze. "I'll...see you around, I guess."

"Yeah, I'll text you," Adam replied. "Please keep me updated on how you are doing, big guy."

The white bull nodded slowly and waited for Adam to get out of the car and walk up to the front door of his building before he drove away, Jericho's truck soon vanishing into the night.

Adam greeted the front desk attendant before making his way to the elevator. He clicked the button and walked inside when the doors opened. Clicking the three button, Adam watched the doors close painfully slowly.

It was the loneliest elevator ride he had ever taken in his life.